Agreement between Lebanon and Israel opens the way for energy exploration

Beirut/Jerusalem — Lebanon and Israel have reached a historic agreement demarcating a disputed maritime border between them after years of US-mediated negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Tuesday.

While limited in scope, a deal would mark a significant compromise between states with a history of war and hostility, opening the way for offshore energy exploration and easing a source of recent tensions.

“This is a historic achievement that will strengthen Israel’s security, inject billions into Israel’s economy and ensure the stability of our northern border,” Lapid said in a statement.

In Lebanon, President Michel Aoun said the terms of the final US proposal are satisfactory and he hopes the deal will be announced as soon as possible.

The agreement is meant to resolve a territorial dispute in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in an area where Lebanon aims to explore for natural gas. Israel is already producing natural gas at fields nearby.

It sets a border between Lebanese and Israeli waters for the first time and establishes a mechanism for both countries to get royalties from an offshore gas field that straddles the boundary. The deal does not touch on their shared land border.

Lebanese negotiator Elias Bou Saab said the latest draft “takes into consideration all of Lebanon’s requirements and we believe that the other side should feel the same”.

It was endorsed by the heavily armed, Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which until recently has threatened to attack Israeli gas facilities, according to two officials.

A senior Lebanese government official and an official close to Hezbollah said the group has agreed to the terms of the deal and considers negotiations “over”. Hezbollah has yet to formally comment.

While Israel has moved ahead with production and export of natural gas, Lebanon’s efforts have been hamstrung by political dysfunction.

A gas find would be a major boon for Lebanon, which has been mired in a financial crisis since 2019, and could fix its long-standing failure to produce adequate electricity for its population.

Lapid, who faces a November 1 election, plans to seek approval on Wednesday for the deal from his security cabinet and then the government, before it is reviewed by parliament. An Israeli official said final approval is expected within the next three weeks.

The Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv University think-tank, called the deal a “win-win situation”.

“An agreement between Israel and Lebanon will mark a fundamental positive change in relations between the two countries ... and it may open the door to further changes in the future relationship between them,” it said in a report.

Reuters